Video games are typically made up of one or more programs that involve user/player interaction with a controller interface to generate visual feedback on a video screen. A video game also typically includes some system of reward presented to the user in return for meeting certain accomplishments within the framework of a given set of rules. The various types of electronic computing devices that video games are played on can include personal computers, consumer video game consoles, arcade video game consoles, mobile telephones, smart mobile telephones, handheld video game consoles, and personal digital assistants (PDA). Many users identify their computing device of choice as offering a distinct form of video gaming apart from the rest. However, the main separations between the many computing devices are interface options, and the level of social interaction between other players of the same video game.
Early video games were primarily a single player gaming experience, where the player matched their wits and skill against a program running on an electronic computing device. In the past, the primary video game social interaction was the listing and comparison ranking of scores and/or completed game levels. Today, video games are often designed for simultaneous interactive play between two or, in some cases, thousands of players over a local or remote network. Consequently, it has become relatively common for video game players to ask their friends to simultaneously play a new and/or favorite video game over a network. However, since access to most video games is not free, players of new and/or unknown video games often must play alone or with a stranger until one or more of their friends also decides to purchase access to the same video game.